Anthony Powell
He spent a quarter-century crafting a sweeping, witty novel sequence that dissected the British upper class with forensic precision and dry humor.
1905–2000 (age 95)·English novelist·Birthday: December 21·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anthony Powell moved through the same aristocratic and bohemian circles he would later chronicle, his life providing rich ore for his fiction. After Eton and Oxford, he worked in publishing and journalism before the Second World War, which interrupted his early novelistic efforts. The conflict's end marked a turning point; he began his monumental project, 'A Dance to the Music of Time.' Published in twelve volumes over 24 years, the series is less a conventional plot and more a meticulously observed social panorama, following a group of characters from schooldays through old age. Powell's prose is detached, ironic, and layered with allusion, creating a world where minor social gestures carry immense weight. His work stands as a comprehensive and unsentimental anatomy of power, friendship, and the passage of time in twentieth-century England.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anthony was born in 1905, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1905
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1905Born
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Started school
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1918Became a teenager
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Could drive
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1923Could vote
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1926Turned 21
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1935Turned 30
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 40
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 50
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 60
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 70
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 80
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
2000Died at 95
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
Key Achievements
- Authored the twelve-novel sequence 'A Dance to the Music of Time,' one of the longest sustained works in English fiction.
- Served as the literary editor of 'Punch' magazine from 1953 to 1959.
- Was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1988 for his services to literature.
- His early novels, like 'Afternoon Men,' established his reputation for satirizing artistic and social milieus.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend of the novelist Evelyn Waugh, and their extensive correspondence has been published.
Powell worked for a film company in the 1930s and wrote scripts, including for a movie starring Boris Karloff.
He served in British military intelligence during World War II alongside other writer-soldiers.
The title 'A Dance to the Music of Time' was inspired by a painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin.
“Books do furnish a room.”
